West Virginia

West Virginia Addiction Treatment Statistics

In 2009, 6,070 people were admitted to drug and alcohol rehabs in West Virginia. The numbers continue to fluctuate as there were 6,383 people who went to alcohol and drug treatment in 2005 and 7,642 who went in 2006. In 2006, the last year of reported statistics, West Virginia had 83 facilities.  25 addiction rehabilitation centers in the state of West Virginia offer residential care with only 8 facilities providing opioid treatment.   From 2005-2006, 42,000 West Virginia residents reported needing addiction treatment for illicit drugs (especially opiates), but did not receive treatment.

Alcohol Addiction in West Virginia

The number of people admitted to treatment for alcohol abuse as the primary substance in 2009 was 2,843 while those admitted for alcohol combined with a secondary substance was 318.

Commonly Abused Drugs in West Virginia

From 2005-2006, 123,000 (8%) of residents in West Virginia reportedly used illicit drugs. Admissions in West Virginia for drug only addiction treatment increased from 29% in 2001 to 34% in 2006. Admissions for treatment of both alcohol and drug abuse combined increased from 8% in 2001 to 31% in 2006.

Cocaine
Cocaine and crack cocaine are readily available in most cities in West Virginia. Rural communities in West Virginia have been greatly affected by distribution of crack cocaine. 40,000 citizens or 2.60% of the West Virginia population abused cocaine from 2005-2006. West Virginia ranked among the top ten states for cocaine abuse among 18-25 year olds.

Heroin
There were 181 people admitted for heroin addiction in 2009. Both the demand and supply of heroin is limited throughout West Virginia. Those who are addicted to heroin in West Virginia typically get their supply from Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Marijuana
Marijuana abuse continues to be a problem in West Virginia. In 2005-2006, 141,000 (9.12%) of the West Virginia population used marijuana.  661 people were admitted to drug rehab for marijuana addiction in 2009.

Methamphetamines
Methamphetamine is one of the most used and available drugs in West Virginia, but the combined efforts of state and Federal law enforcement regulations of chemicals have helped reduce the manufacturing of methamphetamine. In 2009 there were 68 people who went to treatment for amphetamine dependence.

Other Opiates
Prescription drugs are a major problem in West Virginia. More people were admitted for opiate addiction treatment (other than heroin) in West Virginia than other drugs except alcohol. 150,000 residents of West Virginia used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons between 2006 -2007. In 2009, 1,608 people entered drug treatment for opiate addiction dependence.

West Virginia Drug and Alcohol Fatalities, Injuries and Drug Court Statistics

Opioids were the leading cause of overdose deaths in 2008. 93.2% of deaths from overdose were due to opiates other than heroin. Of that number, only 44% possessed a prescription for the opiates used. Throughout 1999-2004, there was a 550% increase in the number of people suffering from an overdose in West Virginia. In 2007, there were 3 drug courts functioning in West Virginia. More than half of the drug cases in 2006 involved crack cocaine followed by powdered cocaine and then marijuana.

Throughout 1999-2004, there was a 550% increase in the number of people suffering from an overdose in West Virginia.

There were 405 people who died as a consequence of drug use compared to 429 who died from motor vehicle accidents and an additional 267 who died from firearm incidents. State and local arrests for drug abuse violations in West Virginia numbered 4,100 during 2006. The DEA reported 113 arrests for drug violations in 2007. The DEA confiscated 5.7 kilograms of cocaine in 2007.

Between 2005 and 2007 methamphetamine lab incidents went from 213 to 40, further evidence of the successful shift in enforcement being targeted in West Virginia. In 2006, more the 57,000 marijuana plants were “eradicated” in West Virginia by the DEA.

West Virginia Drug and Alcohol Addiction Resources

• Alcoholics Anonymous (go to the AA main page, click on find a meeting, follow link to state pages, click on West Virginia)
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Alanon and Alateen Family Group